Roundabout planned near Reno elementary sparks debate

Hunter Lake Elementary School principal Amanda McWilliams at the intersection of Hunter Lake and Mayberry on Friday, June 6. McWilliams is concerned that the intersection would not be as safe for students on their way to and from the school if a proposed roundabout is built. On Friday only three children used the intersection from 3-3:30 p.m., but McWilliams said it is busier in the morning.
(Photo:
Tim Dunn/RGJ
)

Story Highlights

Building a roundabout would cost between $1.7 million to $1.9 million.

The Federal Highway Administration says roundabouts are much safer than four-way intersections.

The planned roundabout is expected to keep up with population growth over the next 20 years

The Regional Transportation Commission created a video model of the future roundabout at Mayberry and Hunter Lake drives. The roundabout has caused some controversy regarding safety.
Courtesy of Regional Transportation Commission

Future plans for a roundabout at a busy Reno intersection near Hunter Lake Elementary School has school staff, parents and neighbors concerned about the safety of pedestrians.

"It's about 100 feet from my front door," Principal Amanda McWilliams said. "This is a walking school for the most part. About 50 to 60 percent of our students walk because this is a neighborhood school."

Plans for a roundabout are part of a reconstruction project that includes work to the pavement and sidewalks from California Avenue to Hunter Lake Drive, said Joe Harrington, spokesman for Washoe County's Regional Transportation Commission.

Traffic currently clogs at the intersection because the stop light, which was due for an upgrade, lacks a turn signal for drivers heading north and southbound.

Replacing the signal would cost about $1.1 million while the roundabout project would cost up to $1.9 million.

While it would be easier to install a turning signal to help speed up traffic, a roundabout would eliminate electrical and maintenance costs, Harrington said. It would also help reduce speeds, reconstruct the pavement and replace deteriorated sidewalks, officials said.

"Traffic would move much more slowly and drivers would have a greater opportunity to see pedestrians," Harrington said. "…The crossing distances would also be shorter.

"There are a lot of pedestrians that utilize that intersection and this would help them cross safely," he said.

Safety concerns

McWillaims said she has nothing against roundabouts, but her concern was having one built near a school zone, she said.

With 365 students attending Hunter Lake Elementary, morning hours are hectic at the intersection, McWilliams said.

"I want them to arrive safely at school and, of course, I want them to arrive safely at home from our doors," she said.

"Sometimes children think that the cars will automatically stop for them, meanwhile the drivers are trying to figure out how not to hit the car in front of them," she said. "That's the whole idea of a roundabout is to keep traffic moving, and I don't know that they're always looking for little students.

"That's really concerning to me," she said.

Although school staff currently keep watch at nearby crosswalks, more would be needed if a roundabout were to be built, McWilliams said.

"There's going to be five crossings and it's just insane to ask a child, who's 6 (years old), to negotiate when the time to cross is," McWilliams said. "That's really a hard thing for little kids to do because they just don't have the developmental capabilities to know when to go, and that makes me nervous."

Several parents have signed a petition and written letters to the RTC voicing their concerns. Neighbors also protested the future roundabout on June 4, with five teachers participating in the cause.

Harrington said that plans for the future roundabout are at the beginning stages of a long process. A public hearing WAS held in late May to get initial response, but no decision has been made.

"We really wanted to take it slow and make sure we talked with… the public out there about what exactly they think, what the problems are with this intersection and what they think the solutions are," Harrington said.

Safety improvements with roundabouts

RTC officials said in documents filed with the city of Reno that traffic near the intersection dropped by up to 15 percent since the city first began keeping track of traffic in the area in 2010. The roundabout is expected to drop that even more and reduce safety risks.

The Federal Highway Administration has reported that roundabouts generally force drivers to go slower and are safer than other intersections. They can lead to a 90 percent reduction in fatalities, 76 percent reduction in injuries and a 35 percent reduction in all crashes, according to the FHA.

Meanwhile, 20 people are killed at intersections every day in the United States as a result of right-angle crashes at four-way stops, which is why the highway administration says roundabouts can improve safety on the road — including for pedestrians.

"In general, pedestrians face far less risk at roundabouts than traditional intersections, primarily because of the slower speeds and the elimination of turns across the pedestrian crosswalks," according to a highway administration report. "Splitter islands both shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and allow them to cross one direction of traffic at a time. All of this adds up to increased safety."

The report added, "we've had our share of skeptics, but what we've found is that after the roundabout is built, the skeptics become supportive of the idea, which is a tribute to the time savings and the safety benefits that a roundabout offers."

But opponents in Reno may need more convincing.

"I think that the RTC cares about (safety), but I think they also have a plan in mind," McWilliams said. "Maybe student safety isn't their number one concern, but it's my number one concern and with the teachers and parents.

"I think that it isn't something that this neighborhood has embraced in any way," she said. "They really don't want it here, they really want the traffic light with the (left) turn signal."

Local response

Cosette Retterer, who picks up her 11-year-old grandson every day from school, said she was "horrified with the idea of a roundabout."

"People are crossing slow and steady and cars are just going to zip by," Retterer said. "I think it's a bad idea.

"They don't even honor that sign at the intersection saying you can't turn right on red," she said. "They're not going to slow down with a roundabout."

Melissa Marsh's two children also attend the elementary school. She was looking to sign a petition Friday after picking her children up after school.

"I'm not necessarily opposed to a roundabout for traffic purposes, but I think it could be dangerous for kids crossing."

Renee Rowe and Kim Awisus were among the five Hunter Lake Elementary teachers to protest earlier this month.

Although traffic currently clogs up near the intersection, the roundabout would have traffic flowing nonstop, Awisus said, who's also a nearby resident.

"But if they put a roundabout there, we're never going to be able to turn left off of our side streets if there isn't a pause (in traffic)," she said. "It's crazy in the morning anyway, and if the traffic keeps flowing, you're not going to be able to get out of these side streets near Hunter Lake and Mayberry."

Rowe said the pause in traffic waiting at the stop light gives neighbors a chance to get of their driveways.

"There are many older people that live in this neighborhood that don't know how to drive around a roundabout," Rowe said. "Not only do the children walk across the crosswalks, but a lot of older people, too."

Fire truck concerns

Pedestrian safety isn't the only concern for nearby residents. Rowe was also worried about whether the roundabout would slow down fire trucks during an emergency call.

"The response time for not only the citizens that live in this neighborhood, but for the elementary school, the junior high and the high school, they have to get through that roundabout to get to the schools," Rowe said. "If anything happens at the high school, the response time would be so much longer, and that's huge."

Harrington said the RTC has been in contact with the Reno Fire Department.

"They're supportive of a roundabout at this location, provided that it would be large enough to accommodate fire trucks," he said.

Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said fire trucks often pass by the intersection for emergency calls.

"Fire trucks pass by there daily and they have to take into consideration that the trucks need to fit to go through that roundabout," Hernandez said.

"The city of Reno has reached out to the fire department and we don't object to a roundabout so long as they meet the requirement," he said."Those trucks are pretty big, so the roundabout would have to be wide enough."

Because the project is in its early stages, the fire department doesn't have a say on the roundabout until measurements are made, Hernandez said.

"But the real issue isn't about whether we agree with this or not, it's about what the community wants," he said. "If the community doesn't want a roundabout there, then the RTC have to take that into consideration."

At a glance:

• The Mayberry Drive Reconstruction Project would total $1.1 million if the traffic signal is replaced. Building a roundabout would cost between $1.7 million to $1.9 million.

• The Federal Highway Administration says roundabouts are much safer than four-way intersections.

• Local traffic near the intersection has dropped by about 15 percent since 2010.

• The planned roundabout is expected to keep up with population growth over the next 20 years.